


Fury Chooses A Different Director

by ddh1973



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Stand With Ward, people will be called on their hypocrisy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-27
Updated: 2016-03-04
Packaged: 2018-05-23 13:04:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6117321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddh1973/pseuds/ddh1973
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if in the finale of Season one, Fury chose someone else to be Shield's director.  Someone that does things a lot differently than Phil Coulson.  This story will also resolve the Real Shield issue as well.  Eventually Skyeward but not in the first part of the story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A New Director

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still working on the next chapters of my other unfinished stories and started a few more that I am waiting to post but something about this one made me post it already. I hope everybody likes this. While my OC is the new Director, she is more of a supporting character and won't be taking over storylines.

Nicholas Fury watched as Coulson talked to a handcuffed Grant Ward and was about to say something when a furious voice carried through the room. He smiled and knew what was coming, that the supposed traitorous specialist's real mission was about to be revealed.

“Like hell you are doing anything to my agent, Agent Coulson! Stand down and take those damn handcuffs off of him!”

A furious woman in her late sixties appeared before them and both May and Coulson watched as she walked over to them. She was tall and slim with gray hair, sapphire eye and a regal bearing.

“Agent Windom, this man is a Hydra sleeper!”

“Philip Coulson, as the new Director of Shield, I am now your boss and Grant Ward has been working for me ever since I found him where that dumbass Garrett left him to suffer alone on his property in Wyoming,” she then turned to Grant, placing a gentle hand to his shoulder. “It’s over, Grant. Now we go about stopping the rest of Hydra.”

Agent Windom then realized that Grant hadn’t said a word the entire time and confusion then anger took over her lovely face.

“Why can’t he talk?”

She furiously took in Coulson, May and Skye, whose expression was mixed with confusion and anger at this woman taking over.

“Who the hell are you?”

She drew back as the woman turned to face her, blue eyes turning glacial.

“I am Caroline Windom and as of five minutes ago, I am the new Director of Shield. I am your boss and while I will be taking Grant Ward to my base for medical treatment and debrief, Robert Gonzalez is in charge of the Iliad while Phil Coulson is in charge of the Playground. There will be a counsel that will help me see all angles of every issue but the final decision is mine.”

Caroline then walked over to Ward and touched his shoulder again, looking into his eyes, a maternal love that everybody in the room could see, in her expression.

“Go to the base with my men and let Veronica take care of you,” she said gently.

She watched as Grant walked out of the room before turning fierce eyes onto Phil Coulson.

“I know it was The Calvary who hurt him and given that it was done while he was undercover, there won’t be any reprimand in her record but rein her in, Phil or I will. She is also not going to be Agent Skye’s SO. Her own personal history of fucking Skye’s previous SO makes her unfit for that job and I sure as hell don’t want any young agents learning that ‘hate fu’ nonsense she spouts. Is that understood?”

“Yes ma’am.” “Skye, I will be either sending a suitable candidate to be your SO or bringing you to my base and letting one of my people train you there.”

Caroline didn’t give anybody a chance to respond before walking out of the room.

“Who is she Coulson?”

“A Shield legend that you don’t cross, Skye, if Ward was undercover with Hydra under her orders, there is something going on that we don’t know about.”

Caroline stuck her head back in the room, a smirk on her face.

“Your two scientists are at The Playground and unlike what John Garrett told you, they are both okay. The pod was dropped to get them off of that damn plane where they shouldn’t have been in the first place, Phil. Neither one of them were ready for a mission like that so you have a lot to answer for because without Grant’s quick thinking, Garrett would have killed them.”

* * *

A week later, Skye bags were packed as she walked down the Playground’s hallways to be taken to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Director Windom had set up her base on a fifty acre piece of land close to Morehead City, North Carolina. The thought of seeing Grant Ward again scared her because after finding out the truth of how he had ended up going undercover for the new Director, she was confused as to how she felt about him.

He had been fifteen and taken out of Juvie by John Garrett, only to be abandoned alone in the woods with nothing but a dog named Buddy. Director Windom had found him and taken him and Buddy to live with her. It was only when Grant had been old enough to go to the Academy that he met up with John Garrett again and started an undercover mission that would was so deep even Fury and Maria Hill hadn’t known about it.

“Are you sure about this Skye?” She turned to face Simmons, who was now walked beside Skye.

The biochemist hated Ward with a passion despite being told the truth and she was worried about her. Director Windom wasn’t a woman you wanted to cross and Jemma might have to find that out the hard way.

“I need an SO and the new Director doesn’t want May to do it,” Skye calmly explained. “Jemma, I know you are angry at Ward but Director Windom isn’t someone you want to cross. Be careful because she can make your life hell and if you don’t believe me, ask May about what she is capable of.”

Jemma scoffed at Skye’s words before responding fiercely.

“She is protecting that murderer and monster. I’m not afraid of her.”

“Agent Simmons, your little fierce routine is admirable but don’t play with me,” Caroline stated as she walked down the hall towards her two agents. “Acting like that will get you in serious trouble just like Agent May who has just been suspended for fracturing Agent Ward’s larynx. I will not tolerate attacking your fellow agents out of revenge and hurt pride.”

“He dropped me and Fitz out of that pod and didn’t care if we got hurt!”

“He saved your damn life, you stupid girl! John Garrett wanted you and Mr. Fitz dead and if Grant hadn’t of gotten you off that plane after Coulson sent the both of you in there without the proper training for a mission like that, the two of you would be dead,” Caroline stated before turning to face Skye. “Your new SO is waiting on the quinjet for us and Grant is on a mission for me so you won’t have to worry about seeing him for at least a couple of weeks.”

Skye shot Jemma a look of compassion at the lecture she had just received before following the Director into the hangar and onto the quinjet.

She saw a young Hispanic woman that was only a few years older than her.

“Agent Skye, this is Kara Palamas, your new SO.”

The woman held out her hand to Skye and they shook hands before the three women strapped in to wait for the quinjet to take off.

“So Grant was your SO?” Skye turned shocked eyes onto Kara before shutting down any emotions Ward’s name brought up.

“Yes. How do you know him?”

“I met him when Caroline recruited me into Shield and became my SO. I know that you are angry at him and have every right to be but John Garrett would have destroyed Grant’s life if Caroline hadn’t of found him in those woods,” Kara explained gently.

“Was any of it real,” Skye asked before she could stop herself.

“He genuinely fell for you and I had to talk him down from killing John Garrett after you were shot,” Caroline softly answered her question.

“Why did he sleep with May if he was falling for me?”

“Because Garrett ordered him to and given how long he had been undercover, we couldn’t mess that up. Did she really accuse him of cheating on her after that Asgardian bitch had Grant under her spell?”

“Director…”

“I will be having a long conversation with Phil Coulson about treating rape victims like crap!” Skye didn’t say a word for the rest of the flight as she realized just how shitty they had all been towards Grant after that mission. He had been raped and been punched in the face for it and not helped.

* * *

Instead of taking her to the base, Caroline had taken her and Kara to a beautiful beach home in Emerald Isle, North Carolina. It was on the Western end of the island which also was home to Atlantic Beach, a very popular beach during the summer that was located on the Eastern end of the island; both of them along with the other towns were only Southern facing beaches in the Outer Banks.

Skye stepped out of the Navy SUV that had brought them from the airport and took in the Atlantic Ocean and noticed the sun starting to set over the water.

The sky was mix of orange, purple and pink that took her breath away.

“I lived in Los Angeles and never got to see the sunset over the Pacific. This is beautiful.”

“Wait until you see the sunrise in the morning,” Kara commented as she stood beside Skye. “The two of us will be up jogging on the beach by that time.”

“Is it a Specialist thing to get up that early?”

“Pretty much,” Kara commented with a mischievous grin.


	2. A Mother's Love

Grant Ward sat out on the third floor terrace of his beach home in Atlantic Beach that was in walking distance of the Oceana fishing pier and watched as family played in the pool of the nearby Oceana Family Motel. He had been there since Caroline had taken him from Cybertek.

Dr. Veronica Lyles had been treating him since then and coming by every day to make sure his foot and voice box was healing properly. Caroline had been staying with him but now that Skye and Kara were down at her home in Emerald Isle and they were resuming Skye’s training, she might not be there as much.

“Agent Ward, Director Windom is coming by to see you,” a middle aged, short and full figured woman stated.

Grant grabbed the note pad beside him and started to write what he wanted to say. He wasn’t allowed to talk for another week.

‘Thank you, Paloma.’

“It might be a good idea if you go and take a shower and get some clean clothes on because if Miss Windom sees you looking like that, she might fuss at you,” Paloma stated.

Grant looked down at the robe he had been wearing since he woke up and remembered that he hadn’t shaved in a few days. He reluctantly got out of his chair and walked back into the house.

* * *

Skye and Kara were having breakfast after a five mile run down to the Bogue Inlet Fishing pier, and a Shield agent there to bring them back. The ultimate goal was to run the whole twenty five mile length of the island to build up Skye’s strength.

The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs drew their attention away from their food and to the sight of Caroline walking towards the front door.

“Kara, Paloma called and told me that I needed to deal with something important. Take Skye to the base and give her a tour before showing her our computer systems.”

“You need here for my skills as a hacker?”

“Eventually I want you to go over Shield’s computer systems at all of our bases to make sure our security is so tight even you couldn’t hack into it if you weren’t Shield. I refuse to let Hydra or anybody else do that again,” Caroline stated fiercely.

“Kara, everybody on all of our bases is to go through Fury’s lie detector and everybody’s backgrounds checked thoroughly. Have Skye help you with that.”

“Yes ma’am,” Kara replied. “Is he still refusing to leave that damn terrace staring at the pier all day?”

“Yes and now I am going to give him some tough love.”

“Ward isn’t on a mission is he?” Caroline turned to face Skye, who was a mix between worried and scared before walking out the door without saying a word.

“Kara?”

“He has a home here and was taken there to recover from the damage Agent May did to him. He can’t talk, Skye and if he doesn’t do the exercises Dr. Lyles told him to do, he might not ever talk again. Come on, we need to get ready to report to Crystal.”

“Crystal?”

“This area is called The Crystal Coast and that is why Fury and Director Windom named it that. It isn’t as big as the Playground but Caroline is only allowing agents she trusts for her main team.”

“Why am I here then? I helped set it up for May to attack Ward.”

“You didn’t know he was undercover and there is nothing like someone we love pissing us off to bring out the worst in people.”

Skye didn’t say a word; she just went up to her room and started to get ready to start her day. It would be time later to deal with Ward and everything, she had a job to do and that was to keep Shield safe and learn how to be a good field agent.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Caroline drove up to the three story blue beach house sitting on stilts and into the parking area below the house. It was long after that she stormed up the stairs and into the main living area on the first floor.

“Grant Douglas Ward, you better be cleaned up and dressed or in the process of it or I will have you transported back to Crystal and back under Veronica’s care.”

“Miss Windom, he is back out on the terrace but he is dressed and I made sure he shaved.”

“Thank you, Paloma. I will be bringing Grant back to the base to have Veronica check him.”

“Director...”

“Agent Hernandez, him seeing her might help him snap out of this depression he is in.”

“Or it could make it worse, ma’am.”

“I know but I am desperate to save the boy that became mine the moment I saw him abandoned in those woods with nothing but a dog to keep him warm,” Caroline said tearfully, wiping her eyes with a tissue she had taken from the box sitting on the table closest to the door.

She went up the stairs and into the Master bedroom to find her boy brooding on the terrace. He stared at the tourists enjoying the fishing pier and the other activities taking place down on the beach.

“I know that this mission has been hard for you and I am so sorry that I asked you to do that. I wish that I had asked Fury to find a reason to keep you off of Coulson’s team and none of this would have happened. This is my fault, Grant” she stated gently.

Caroline watched as Grant picked up the notepad beside him and started to write something.

A few seconds passed before he showed her what he had written.

‘No it is not. It’s mine.’

“I am taking you out to the base and have Veronica check your throat and you will start doing those exercises to help your voice box. I then need you to go over the Armory and see what we have and what we need. That’s an order.”

‘Yes ma’am.’

“Skye will be on the base today where Kara is showing her around and getting her started on the base’s computers.”

‘I don’t want to see her. I don’t want her damn pity.’

“If you come across her, be polite and walk away if she starts an argument.”

‘I can’t talk anyway even if she wanted to.’ Caroline grinned and knew that if he was saying this; her boy’s smart ass streak would be shining through.

* * *

Skye was at one of the computer terminals, going over the systems to see what improvements could be made when she heard Caroline’s voice coming into the room. She glanced up and saw her standing out in the main hallway with Grant. The sight of Dr. Veronica Lyles, a beautiful and slender woman around five foot tall, long blond hair and gray eyes walked to him and put her arms around Grant.

Jealousy filled Skye before she could stop herself before turning at the sound of laughter coming from across the room.

“Ronnie is married, Skye. She and Grant are just friends and she is very protective of him. If I was Melinda May, I would stay away from her. She might find out why her nickname is Julia.”

“Julia?”

“Did you ever see that old eighties TV show ‘Designing Women?”

“No.”

“Well one of the main characters is a woman named Julia Sugarbaker and she has a tendency to tell people off for their stupidity and do it with class. I’ll have to show you my DVDs of the show. Ronnie is from North Carolina originally and has the Southern Accent too.”

Skye laughed at Kara, before getting back to work; unaware of the fact that Grant had heard her and had been watching before going into the med bay with Ronnie.

“Grant Douglas, if you don’t start doing those exercises, I am going to kick your butt!”

Ward cringed at the mix of concern and irritation in his friend’s voice. He knew that Caroline and Ronnie were worried about him but he didn’t really want to deal with all of the issues he had going on.

One of them sitting in the computer room and being trained by Kara.

“I met her and while part of me wants to smack the self-righteous out of her, I am waiting for The Calvary so I can slap the ever loving piss out of her. Julia is going to make an appearance just for her when I come face to face with her.”

Grant picked up his pen and wrote down what he wanted to say, knowing exactly why Caroline was keeping Ronnie at Crystal and May at the Playground with Coulson.

‘Caroline has already dealt with her so let it go, it’s over.’

Ronnie finished her exam and followed him out of the room and down into Caroline’s office where Caroline was in a meeting with Robert Gonzalez and a very much alive Victoria Hand.

“Good thing you warned me what was going on, Director Windom or I might have to hit Ward in the throat again.”

“Thank you, Victoria for helping keep Grant’s cover. How’s Eric Koenig doing?”

“He’s wondering how he woke up in a hospital bed on the Iliad and not at Providence.”

“Did you explain to him what was going on?”

“Yes and his brothers are pissed off. They want a piece of Ward.”

A fierce light came into Caroline’s eyes, mama bear was about to come out.

“You tell Billy and Sam that their brother is alive and to get the hell over it. It’s isn’t like Grant actually killed Eric and if anything happens to Grant, I am going to come after them.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Robert, I want to send Bobbi Morse undercover into Hydra along with one of the Scientists on Coulson’s Base. We need to know what Hydra is up to in regards to their Science Division but Simmons isn’t to know that Bobbi is Shield.”

Ward started to write on his notepad before handing it to Caroline.

‘Simmons will need training in how to maintain her cover before this mission starts’

“I have already taken care of that and asked Natasha Romanov to go to the Playground to train her,” Caroline said, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

“Director, the Avengers don’t know that Coulson is still alive,” Hand commented.

“Hydra was able to infiltrate Shield the first time because of some of the secrets that Shield kept. It ends now.”

The meeting ended and as Grant walked out of the door of Caroline’s office, he stopped short at the sight of Kara and Skye standing there. He quickly moved past the two women and went down the hall to the quarters he had on base, not ready to deal with Skye at that moment.


End file.
